About Us

We take pride in our leading expertise in M&A, ECM, private equity and venture capital, commercial dispute resolution, property law and general corporate and commercial law.

Clarendon Lawyers is a corporate legal advisory firm, specialising in M&A and ECM.

We are experts in public and private M&A, ECM, private equity and venture capital, commercial dispute resolution, property law and general corporate and commercial law.

We are trusted advisers to leading Australian and international companies, private equity and venture capital funds, financial intermediaries, corporate advisers, professional services firms, family offices and business owners and high-net-worth individuals across a broad range of industries and sectors.

Our clients benefit from our extensive experience, outstanding legal knowledge and skills, strong project management, effective negotiating and responsiveness. With Clarendon Lawyers, our clients know they are receiving the very best legal advice – a team of dedicated and experienced lawyers is representing them.

Areas of Practice

Mergers & Acquisitions

Our firm has extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, including:

Private acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses

Public company takeovers and schemes of arrangement

Private equity and venture capital investments and exits, including acting for management teams and founders

Regardless of the value of your transaction, we understand that the stakes are high and that a timely, well structured and negotiated approach is paramount to success. Our clients trust us to secure the best possible outcome, in a manner that is as
cost effective and as seamless as possible. Our deep knowledge means we can cut through complexity and find solutions to problems that is our speciality.

Equity Capital Markets

We are equity capital markets experts and regularly act for issuers, underwriters and investors across the full range of ECM transactions. Our extensive experience includes:

Business structuring and financing, including startup companies and early stage enterprises

Corporate governance, ASX and Corporations Act compliance

Corporate restructures

Establishment of new businesses, including company incorporation and the establishment of trusts and other legal structures

Company secretarial services

Dispute Resolution

We provide you with high quality, commercially-focused strategic advice and representation, offered in a cost-effective manner. We aim to reach a positive outcome for you as soon as possible and with minimum disruption to your business.

We handle matters in all Australian courts and tribunals, as well as domestic and international arbitrations, mediations, expert determinations and regulatory investigations. Our primary focus is always directed towards achieving commercially sensible outcomes and exploring dynamic and innovative approaches to dispute resolution wherever possible. Our expertise includes:

Complex commercial and corporate disputes

Contractual disputes

Disputes arising from business or share sales (including completion account and earn-out disputes and warranty claims)

Urgent Court applications

Partnership and shareholding disputes

Product liability claims and claims arising under Australian Consumer Law

Debt recovery

Risk management and regulatory compliance

Property

We are specialists in all forms of property transactions. We have extensive experience in the following:

Acquisitions and disposals of residential, commercial, retail and industrial properties

Commercial, industrial and retail leasing and tenancy issues

Agreements for lease and development contracts

Property development including subdivisions and staged development

Foreign Investment Review Board advice and applications

Property due diligence and advice

Easements, covenants and restrictions on the use of land

Options and general conveyancing

General Commercial

We work closely with our clients’ legal and commercial teams to assist them with their general commercial requirements. In addition to our Australian clients, we act as local counsel to a range of international companies, institutions and firms, providing them with a set of “eyes and ears” on the ground in Australia.

Commercial Contracting

Operational contracts, including IT, business systems and outsourcing agreements

Service and consultancy agreements

Freight and logistics agreements

Advertising and marketing arrangements

Confidentiality agreements

Privacy policies

Intellectual Property

Registration of intellectual property

Transfer and assignment of intellectual property rights

Intellectual property licensing arrangements

Although members of our firm have considerable experience in a variety of areas of law, we are a specialist corporate legal advisory firm, not a general full service law firm. If we feel that an area is outside the scope of our core expertise, we work with our clients to instruct or refer the matter to one of our specialist relationship firms.

What sets us apart

Excellence

Bench Strength

With seven directors specialising in corporate legal advisory work, supported by a team of experienced lawyers, our team is comparable in size to the corporate groups of many of our much larger competitors.

Service Delivery

We are highly responsive and will always be available when you need us. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to ensure that our clients achieve outstanding results.

Commercial Approach

We take the time to understand our clients’ businesses and their commercial and strategic drivers. We pride ourselves on our commerciality, however we are also assertive when a different approach is needed to advance our clients’ interests.

Value

We are highly cost effective for our clients. As a specialist firm we operate with a lean model so we can provide our clients with low GST options and genuine value for money.

Hands-on

We work in focused and efficient teams. We do not operate a leveraged model. Our directors are deeply involved at all stages of our clients’ matters, so you will always get what you pay for.

Communication

We provide clear, succinct and user-friendly advice at all times. We pride ourselves on our direct and contemporary approach to practice.

Down to earth

We are down to earth, approachable and love what we do. We enjoy getting to know our clients and their businesses and providing them with personal service.